Asia Cup 2023: Everything you need to know
After a lot of drama over a period of close to one year, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) along with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have come to terms regarding the upcoming Asia Cup, which is slated to begin on August 30 in Pakistan.
A lot of high-profile meetings later, Asia Cup 2023 got the green signal as the first half of the tournament will be played in Pakistan, while the second half will be played in Sri Lanka. In that manner, all of the problems were resolved and Pakistan confirmed their participation in the ODI World Cup. However, the backstage drama will add more flavour when these two teams square off against each other on September 2.
Other than that, defending champions Sri Lanka will be aiming to retain their throne while Nepal, who will play their first Asia Cup, will try to surprise the big boys. Afghanistan meanwhile lost to Pakistan 3-0 in the recent series but they have shown a lot of composure and can prove to be a dangerous team. Their spin attack is deadly and players like Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran have shown their class with the bat.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, will be missing Tamim Iqbal in the tournament. Shakib Al Hasan has been appointed as the new leader and given his experience, he can help Bangladesh win their maiden Asia Cup title. They also have a few young blokes who can come in handy in the mega tournament.
When it comes to India, the tournament holds a lot of value for the Rohit Sharma-led side. Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul will be on focus as they will play their first tournament after a long hiatus. Ahead of the World Cup, the Men in Blue will also look forward to resolving certain issues and there will be more clarity on the role each player will have in the ODI format.
Asia Cup 2023 Groups:
| Group A | Group B |
| India | Afghanistan |
| Pakistan | Sri Lanka |
| Nepal | Bangladesh |
Asia Cup 2023 Schedule:
| Date | Day | Fixture | Time (IST) | Venue |
| 30-08-2023 | Wednesday | PAK vs NEP | 1.30 pm | Multan |
| 31-08-2023 | Thursday | BAN vs SL | 1.30 pm | Kandy |
| 02-09-2023 | Saturday | PAK vs IND | 1.30 pm | Kandy |
| 03-09-2023 | Sunday | BAN vs AFG | 1.30 pm | Lahore |
| 04-09-2023 | Monday | IND vs NEP | 1.30 pm | Kandy |
| 05-09-2023 | Tuesday | SL vs AFG | 1.30 pm | Lahore |
| 06-09-2023 | Wednesday | A1 vs B2 | 1.30 pm | Lahore |
| 09-09-2023 | Saturday | B1 vs B2 | 1.30 pm | Colombo |
| 10-09-2023 | Sunday | A1 vs A2 | 1.30 pm | Colombo |
| 12-09-2023 | Tuesday | A2 vs B1 | 1.30 pm | Colombo |
| 14-09-2023 | Thursday | A1 vs B1 | 1.30 pm | Colombo |
| 15-09-2023 | Friday | A2 vs B2 | 1.30 pm | Colombo |
| 17-09-2023 | Sunday | Final | 1.30 pm | Colombo |
Asia Cup 2023 Squads:
India – Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumraj, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Sanju Samson (travelling reserve).
Pakistan – Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Haris, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir (travelling reserve)
Nepal – Rohit Paudel (c), Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh, Bhim Sharki, Kushal Malla, Aarif Sheikh, Dipendra Singh Airee, Gulshan Jha, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi, Pratish GC, Mousom Dhakal, Sundeep Jora, Kishore Mahato, Arjun Saud
Bangladesh – Shakib Al Hasan (c), Litton Kumer Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain Dhrubo, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Nasum Ahmed, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Naim Sheikh, Shamim Hossain, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Tanzim Hasan Sakib
Afghanistan – Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Riaz Hasan, Ikram Ali Khil, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Abdul Rahman, Rashid Khan, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Suliman Safi, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmed
Sri Lanka – Squad yet to be announced
Asia Cup 2023 Broadcast and Live Stream details:
All the matches of the upcoming Asia Cup 2023 will be telecasted live on Star Sports Network. The live stream will be available on Disney+Hotstar.
